Most People Just Wash Their Hands for 6 Seconds, 15 to 20 Seconds Needed to Kill Germs

Many Americans are not properly washing their hands. Worse, some are skipping the process all together after a trip back from the restroom and one-third don't even bother to use soap. This means that only five percent of those who wash their hands do it long enough to kill germs that can lead to infections, according to researchers from Michigan State University (MSU).

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that washing your hands can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and keep you safe. However, as many people do not wash as nearly as well as they should, the study shows that almost half of all foodborne illness outbreaks come from this lack of cleanliness.

The CDC recommends 15 to 20 seconds of vigorous hand washing with both soap and water to effectively kill germs and prevent the spread of disease. Yet, researchers from the study found that the average person only washes his or her hands for a period of six seconds-not nearly long enough to rid them of germs.

 "These findings were surprising to us because past research suggested that proper hand washing is occurring at a much higher rate," explained Carl Borchgrevink, associate professor of hospitality business at the East Lansing, Michigan institution and lead investigator on the study.

Borchgrevink and his MSU his colleagues had a dozen college students observe hand-washing behaviors in places such as restaurants, bars and other public establishments. They analyzed data from over 3,800 people who regularly utilize public restroom facilities to discover that 15 percent of men and 7 percent of women do not wash their hands at all. And, only half of male toilet users that did wash their hands used soap.

Researchers also found that people were less likely to wash their hands if the sink was dirty.

Borchgrevink believes this tells a story not just about the general public, but about the dangers of spreading germs through the hygenial habits of employees in public areas.

 "Imagine you're a business owner and people come to your establishment and get foodborne illness through the fecal-oral route - because people didn't wash their hands - and then your reputation is on the line," he said. "You could lose your business."

The findings for the study can be found in the Journal of Environmental Health.